Residents of the Palestinian village of Turmus Ayya near Ramallah are on edge. They are anticipating more violent attacks after more than 300 settlers went on a rampage, setting fires and vandalizing property in their small community.
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Ziad Suliman was born in the village and moved to the U.S. when he was 15. He is an American citizen and spends his holiday in Turmus Ayya.
"We arrived a couple of days ago for our vacation with the kids and were surprised by events. All these houses here belong to Americans but have zero protection. The U.S. defends all of its citizens around the world but here there is none," he said, adding that his 20-year-old daughter is afraid and does not want to be here. "This is her first experience here."
"The estimated cost of the damage is around $10 million," Turmus Ayya Mayor Lafi Shalabi said, adding that there are hundreds of American Palestinian families who left for the States and Panama in the 1960s and 1970s and did well financially.
"Over 90% of residents today have American citizenship and come back to visit over the summer. Then you hear mostly English or Arabic with an American accent on the streets. The new generation is completely American and will likely not come back to live here."
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Damage to a home and a car burned by settlers during an attack on Turmus Ayya
(Photo: EPA)
Turmus Ayya is the richest Palestinian village in the West Bank and local residents call it the "eastern suburb of Washington D.C." Many residents build large houses with red-tiled roofs. Some returned as they aged, and others still live in the U.S., but owning a home in the village is a testament to their success abroad but also a way to show their children where their roots are and where they belong.
Since the frequent attacks on the village by neighboring settlers, residents who hold American passports have appealed to the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem, asking for protection from the international community.